I'm back with another comparison! Which is really funny because I don't really go looking for "dupes" but I find when I grab a polish I have this feeling I already have something similar and it usually turns out that I do. A sign I need to stop buying? Probably. Oy.
Anyway, I was looking through the last Color Club polishes I picked up at Ross - the Boho collection - for like $5.00 for the set. When I looked at Voodoo You Do, I kept thinking I had one like it already. And Voila! Chanel Black Pearl.
I've seen several blog posts trying to compare Black Pearl to other polishes and I generally (no offense) find the "dupe posts" not to be that accurate most of the time. I don't know if I look too closely or see more differences or what. (Example: Chanel Graphite and Revlon Carbonite are not even CLOSE in my opinion. While OPI's Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous could be its kissin' cousin.)
So I hope you will find my comparison posts informative as I am not trying to find a dupe. I am merely showing them side by side and pointing out the similarities AND differences so you can hopefully decide if it's "close enough" for you or if you need both.
Ready?
Chanel Black Pearl's formula is a little thinner with a tendency to pool so I had to do 3 thin careful coats. Color Club Voodoo You Do was easier and a little less streaky so two coats did the trick. I think if you were careful, you *could* get even, opaque coverage in one coat. I didn't try. VooDoo You Do is slightly darker than Black Pearl and therefore NOT what I would call a "dupe." But they are remarkably close in various lighting. The shimmer inside each appears to be the same green shimmer, but Voodoo You Do has a bit more of it and it *might* be slightly larger. I've included a couple of blurred out photos to highlight it so you can judge for yourself.
Also included is what has been touted as the Black Pearl dupe in several blogs - L'Oreal's Raven's Strength - on my thumb in a few shots. Again, IMO, they're not even close. These are both grey/steel based with green shimmer. I didn't have any luck capturing the green tint, but they both have it.
Now for the photos...
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| Indirect natural lighting |
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| Indirect natural lighting |
And the blurred out swatches - click to enlarge...
Bottle shot
Sunlight shots...
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| Direct sun |
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| Indirect sun |
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| Indirect sun |
Yes, they're a little different, but how close they are really surprised me!
The last few comparisons I've done have been with Chanel polishes. And contrary to what that may indicate, I really do love Chanel polishes in general. Chanel Dragon is one of my favorite reds and has a perfect formula. And what beats the Khaki Collection? But I am noticing more lately that their colors are being "duped" more often. Is it that their colors aren't as interesting and unique as they were previously? Or is it that there are just so many more companies in that market? Or maybe Chanel is just paying more attention to what consumers are buying? Also, sometimes I see a blog post saying someone "duped" a Chanel polish when in fact that so-called "dupe" came out BEFORE the Chanel version. Plus I am sure that some of the "dupes" are just happy accidents. After all, there are only so many colors.
Anyway, between these two polishes, not even mentioning the HUGE price difference, I honestly do prefer the Voodoo You Do polish for a couple of reasons. The formula applies much easier for me and in fewer coats. The brushes are comparable. It's less streaky than Black Pearl and the green shows up just as well. Because it has less streaking, it reminds me less of the 80s "frosts" which I'd just as soon forget, thankyouverymuch.
